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After a resounding<\/span> primary victory and ahead of a potential presidential run in 2028, progressive California lawmaker Rep. Ro Khanna has received the endorsement of the influential advocacy and watchdog group TrackAIPAC<\/a>, known for posting red cards of lawmakers and candidates who receive money from the pro-Israel lobby.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Khanna, a Democrat representing parts of San Francisco\u2019s Bay Area, is the first member of Congress to go from a target of TrackAIPAC\u2019s online fury to the winner of its endorsement. Though Khanna never took money from the pro-Israel lobby giant, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, he received a red anti-endorsement card from TrackAIPAC in 2024 largely due to his legislative record. Khanna has taken money from the liberal Zionist group, J Street, which opposed Gaza ceasefire attempts in 2023 but has since pushed for conditions on military aid to Israel.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cRejecting AIPAC money isn\u2019t enough \u2014 every member of Congress must be clear on these issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Khanna\u2019s TrackAIPAC endorsement, first reported by The Intercept, came after the lawmaker on June 10 became the initial signatory of a new pledge from TrackAIPAC called PEACE, the pledge to enforce American law, counter foreign influence and end war crimes. Among other commitments, candidates who sign the pledge swear off money from AIPAC and aligned groups, acknowledge Israel\u2019s genocide in Gaza, oppose military aid to any country that commits human rights violations, and agree to stand against efforts in Congress to emmesh the U.S. and Israeli militaries<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m proud to be the first member of Congress to sign the PEACE Pledge to reject campaign contributions and political support from AIPAC, DMFI, and other groups that promote unconditional support for Israel,\u201d Khanna told The Intercept in a statement. \u201cThe pledge also affirms my opposition to the genocide in Gaza and my commitment to voting against future military assistance to any country whose security forces are committing human rights violations. Rejecting AIPAC money isn\u2019t enough \u2014 every member of Congress must be clear on these issues.\u201d<\/p>\n With the endorsement and the new pledge, TrackAIPAC is flexing its growing influence on the Capitol. Its viral social media posts have played a large role in making AIPAC into a politically toxic entity, helping drive underground much of its campaign giving in the midterms. Those posts have also compelled lawmakers, including Khanna, to seek meetings with the group in hopes of removing their red cards.\u00a0With its political arm, Citizens Against AIPAC Corruption, TrackAIPAC has also been endorsing and funding candidates.\u00a0<\/p>\n TrackAIPAC\u2019s founders said they want to offer a good-faith offramp for members of congress looking to evolve on Israel and Palestine. Beyond tracking the pro-Israel lobby\u2019s political spending, the group also serves as an advocacy organization pushing for Palestinian rights in the Capitol. It has claimed major midterm primary victories in races it has endorsed a candidate, such as in New Jersey with the victory Adam Hamawy<\/a>, a former Army surgeon who volunteered in Gaza during the war, Chris Rabb<\/a> in Pennsylvania and Mai Vang in California.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been really effective at building a megaphone and bringing accountability to folks who are on the wrong side,\u201d TrackAIPAC co-founder Casey Kennedy, told The Intercept. \u201cBut with that success we\u2019ve had, now we have a responsibility to offer a bridge to folks to chart a new path forward.\u201d<\/p>\n The group has attracted controversy over its methodology, which examines campaign financing as well as lawmakers\u2019 legislative record on policies relating to Israel and Palestine. TrackAIPAC has at times assigned its red card to\u00a0lawmakers who do not take AIPAC money, which critics have called\u00a0unnecessarily confusing or misleading.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last June, Khanna became the first lawmaker to meet with TrackAIPAC, according to the group, and asked why TrackAIPAC had initially assigned him a red card. By the time they met, the group had removed the red card but did not grant him its green seal of approval. Instead, it appended a label that remains on his page today stating: \u201cWe encourage this representative to continue improving their legislative record on Israel-Palestine issues.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In contrast, Squad member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. has a green card<\/a> and a positive label stating: \u201cThis candidate rejects Israel lobby contributions. This representative has a strong legislative record on Israel-Palestine issues.\u201d<\/p>\n Khanna had previously appealed<\/a> to TrackAIPAC on social media, doubling down on his rejection of AIPAC support. The posts drew the ire of AIPAC, which relentlessly attacked<\/a> him on social media, at times using TrackAIPAC\u2019s own red card graphic<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Khanna\u2019s stances on Israel and Palestine have shifted in recent years. In the immediate weeks after October 7, 2023, Khanna voted in favor of a string of pro-Israel House resolutions, including reaffirming <\/a>Israel\u2019s \u201cright to self-defense\u201d on October 25. A week later, he signed a resolution that condemned<\/a> antisemitism and \u201cthe support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations\u201d in colleges and universities. Khanna was also notably absent on early resolutions calling for a ceasefire.\u00a0<\/p>\n Khanna has since become a loud critic of Israel and has voted against a bill that sought to codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, which has been used to silence criticism of Israel. In the summer of 2025, he cosponsored the Block the Bombs<\/a> bill and signed on to a pair of resolutions by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., acknowledging Israel\u2019s offensive in Gaza as a genocide and recognizing the Nakba. Earlier this month, Khanna attempted to strike a portion of the National Defense Authorization Act that would codify Israel\u2019s joint development of weapons with the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n It was also this month when Khanna\u2019s office reached out again to TrackAIPAC to revisit the possibility of gaining the group\u2019s endorsement, the group said. His office had been receiving inquiries about his \u201ccontinue improving\u201d label on TrackAIPAC\u2019s presidential candidate list<\/a>. At the time, TrackAIPAC had already been developing its pledge and offered it to Khanna\u2019s office.<\/p>\n \u201cGroups like AIPAC are pouring money into our elections and are influencing policies that undermine human rights,\u201d Khanna told The Intercept in a statement. \u201cWhen Track AIPAC offered, I was proud to sign the pledge.\u201d<\/p>\n While Khanna has not formally announced a run for president, he is positioning himself to the left of the Democratic establishment on Israel. In April, he announced he supports the halt of both offensive and so-called defensive weapons<\/a> to the country due to its human rights abuses.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n